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Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S1W-29125

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 September 2002
Current Status: Answered by Elaine Murray on 23 September 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take to implement the Ernie Walker Think-tank report into Scottish football.

Question reference: S1W-29115

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 September 2002
Current Status: Answered by Iain Gray on 23 September 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made in regard to redundancies announced at TelesensKSCL in Edinburgh.

Question reference: S1W-29113

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 September 2002
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 23 September 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive what the procedure is for housing associations to obtain anti-social behaviour orders and what plans it has to simplify the current arrangements.

Local authorities have the power to apply to the sheriff court for an anti-social behaviour order. Housing associations (and any other landlord) can request that the local authority apply for an order on their behalf. The Criminal Justice (Scotland) Bill will give courts the power to grant an interim anti-social behaviour order to take effect pending the outcome of the substantive application. This will provide more immediate relief from anti-social behaviour.

Question reference: S1W-29126

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 September 2002
Current Status: Answered by Iain Gray on 23 September 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the redundancies at TelesensKSCL in Edinburgh, whether it will make representations to the Department of Trade and Industry in regard to any legislative changes which may be required to guarantee redundancy payments to workers.

Such guarantees are already in place. Under the Employment Rights Act 1996, the Department of Trade and Industry can pay redundancy pay and certain other debts owed to former employees of insolvent companies out of the National Insurance Fund. This legislation implements the EU Insolvency Directive and guarantees a basic minimum of payments to employees of insolvent employers who would normally have to wait some considerable time for payment as creditors in the insolvency proceedings.The Redundancy Payments Service has investigated the transfer of business from Telesens to Convergys and is satisfied that the dismissals were either unconnected with the transfer, or were made for economic, technical or organisation reasons entailing changes in the workforce. This means that liability for payment lies with the National Insurance Fund. The payments for the former employees have been processed and they should by now have received payment.

Question reference: S1W-29143

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 September 2002
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Curran on 23 September 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it provided either directly or indirectly to community newspapers in each year since 1999, broken down by newspaper.

Question reference: S1W-28996

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 September 2002
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 23 September 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will give revenue support to the enhancement of the bus service from Ferry Toll to Victoria Quay in order to improve the off-peak service for its staff; whether this is a factor in its Green Transport Plan, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Question reference: S1W-28934

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 September 2002
Current Status: Answered by Colin Boyd on 20 September 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive how many members of staff have been employed at each procurator fiscal office in (a) Lothians and (b) the Scottish Borders (i) in a secretarial or administrative capacity, (ii) as a procurator fiscal depute and (iii) as a trainee procurator fiscal depute in each year since 1997.

The information requested is displayed in the tables and is grouped into four categories:Procurator Fiscal and Promoted Legal Staff (Procurator Fiscal (PF), Assistant Procurator Fiscal (Asst PF); Senior Principal Depute (SPD); Principal Depute (PD));Procurator Fiscal Depute (entrant level for fully qualified solicitor);Legal Trainees (serving a two-year traineeship prior to full admission as solicitor), andNon-Legally Qualified Staff includes all other staff (Executive, Precognition, Administrative, Secretarial and support staff).Each office has a procurator fiscal who holds the Lord Advocate's commission with the exception of Selkirk/Peebles and Jedburgh/Duns where one fiscal holds a commission for both offices. All information is based on permanent staff in post (full-time equivalent).1 April 1997

	Duns	Edinburgh	Haddington	Jedburgh	Linlithgow	Peebles	Selkirk
PF, Asst PF, SPD and PD	0	6	1	1	1	0	1
Procurator Fiscal Depute	0	20.9	1	0	5	0	0
Legal Trainees	0	1	0	1	0	0	0
Non-Legally Qualified	2	89.8	5	2	13.1	0	2

1 April 1998

	Duns	Edinburgh	Haddington	Jedburgh	Linlithgow	Peebles	Selkirk
PF, Asst PF, SPD and PD	0	11	1	1	2	0	1
Procurator Fiscal Depute	0	19.7	1	0	3	0	0
Legal Trainees	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Non-Legally Qualified	2	88.8	3.8	2	14.6	0	3

1 April 1999

	Duns	Edinburgh	Haddington	Jedburgh	Linlithgow	Peebles	Selkirk
PF, Asst PF, SPD and PD	0	11	1	1	2	0	1
Procurator Fiscal Depute	0	19	1	0	3	0	0
Legal Trainees	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
Non-Legally Qualified	2	92.3	4.8	2	12.5	0	2

1 April 2000

	Duns	Edinburgh	Haddington	Jedburgh	Linlithgow	Peebles	Selkirk
PF, Asst PF, SPD and PD	0	10	1	1	2	0	1
Procurator Fiscal Depute	0	20.6	1	0	5.1	0	0
Legal Trainees	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
Non-Legally Qualified	2	90.1	5.8	2	14.5	0	2

1 April 2001

	Duns	Edinburgh	Haddington	Jedburgh	Linlithgow	Peebles	Selkirk
PF, Asst PF, SPD and PD	0	11	1	1	2	0	1
Procurator Fiscal Depute	0	25	1	0	5.1	0	0
Legal Trainees	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
Non-Legally Qualified	2	93.1	4.8	2	14.3	0	2

1 April 2002

	Duns	Edinburgh	Haddington	Jedburgh	Linlithgow	Peebles	Selkirk
PF, Asst PF, SPD and PD	0	11.8	1	1	2	0	1
Procurator Fiscal Depute	0	25	1	0	5.6	0	0
Legal Trainees	0	2	0	0	1	0	0
Non-Legally Qualified	2	93.1	4.8	2	14.3	0	2

Question reference: S1W-28999

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 September 2002
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 20 September 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to (a) introduce technology and, in particular, bus camera technology to assist in the enforcement of bus lanes as dedicated lanes for public transport and (b) for legislative changes to facilitate the introduction of such technology and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Bus lane enforcement is a matter for local authorities and the police. Legislative powers are already in place to enable the use of camera technology for bus lane enforcement. The Road Traffic Offenders (Additional Offences and Prescribed Devices) Order 1997 amended section 20(2) of the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988 so that bus lane contraventions could be prosecuted on the basis of a record produced by a prescribed device (e.g. cameras). In addition, the Transport (Scotland) Act 2001 introduced provisions for local authorities operating decriminalised parking enforcement to introduce civil penalties for bus lane contraventions, and to enable such penalties to be imposed on the basis of a record produced by a prescribed device.

Question reference: S1W-28997

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 September 2002
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 20 September 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made any representations to Her Majesty's Government to have Insurance Premium Tax levied on coach and bus operators hypothecated for the benefit of public transport in that mode; if it has made no such representations, whether it will now do so, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Question reference: S1W-28998

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 September 2002
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 20 September 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it plans to take to assist coach and bus operators to obtain motor and public liability insurance in the light of any reduction in the number of companies offering such insurance and what steps it plans to take in order to alleviate any increase in premiums.